Nine Weeks To Higher Test Scores
Students of All Levels Can Raise Scores on Reading and Writing Tests
Education cycles ideas and sometimes actually improves them. For example, there is a lot to be said for teaching the basics of reading and writing, including phonics, grammar, parsing, and comprehension. The problem is the method teachers use to teach these basics.
Twenty years ago, educators were agog with concept of Whole Language Learning, which required that teachers cull al language skills from literature or, at least, literate text with context and content.. The problem was that the method was too unstructured and did not demand real critical thinking skills or evaluation. Good teachers of any age or decade know that knowledge is based on a foundation of familiarity and tailored their strategies accordingly. Teachers have used Furbys to teach Language Arts and Rubik Cubes to teach math and logic. At one time, Integrated Learning Systems on computers were good methods teachers used to engage students, but this was before the personal computer, with much more intriguing software, was a standard in every home.
Teaching Strategies in the 21st Century
What engages students in the first quarter of the 21st century? For every age, the answer is technology. Students are more networked than their parents ever dreamed of being. And in the case of a teacher trying to reach youth, her technical knowledge is going to equate the power to do so.
That does not mean that teachers have to rely on graphic novels or accept text talk as essays. It does mean that she has to incorporate these comfortable modes into intellectually challenging lessons and assignments. It can be done in nine weeks, and the results can be documented on standardized tests. Recently Quest Academy, an alternative school in Sanford, Florida experimented by tutoring three low percentile students in the nine week method. Their writing scores went up by a whole point.
The Method
Depending on their current reading level, present students with a choice of three books , one of which is going to be read as a class project.. Let students make suggestions so they are part of the process. The book should have no more than 15 chapters. Why only 15 chapters?
Edgar Allen Poe is often credited as the inventor of the short story. He wrote novellas, but not novels; he believed every literary work should be completed in one sitting to truly experience the authors intent. Nicholas Carrr, a writer for The Atlantic agrees. He argues in his 2008 article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” that modern technology is destroying the ability to think by replacing deep reading with “the pressure of information overload and the technology of the “instantly available.” For this reason, it is important that students read a novel, however short.
Present a lesson on the author’s backgrounds and a synopsis of each novel. (Ensure you pick novels that are not going to create controversy, which distracts from the immersion in reading.) Send out permission slips for the project to parents. Then procure the chosen novel for every student in class; usually around 30. (Teachers can order from a consignment bookstore and receive funding from the Student Advisory Board or the Parent Teacher Association.) Explain that they are going to read the book aloud in class and that every assignment is going to be centered around the book.
Then proceed to cull all vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and writing prompts from each chapter of the book. Allow students to decode meaning through text messaging, PowerPoint, and graphic design. Discuss symbolism and content as well. The results, within all ranges of ability, are amazing.
